Life and career

1988–2006: Early life

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born on 5 May 1988 in Tottenham, London, to an English mother, Penny Adkins, and a Welsh father, Marc Evans.[5] Evans left when Adele was two, leaving her mother to raise her.[6][7] She began singing at age four and asserts that she became obsessed with voices.[8][9] Growing up, Adele spent most of her time singing rather than reading; the last book she read was Roald Dahl's Matilda when she was six years old.[10] In 1997, at the age of nine, Adele and her mother, who by then had found work as a furniture maker and an adult-learning activities organiser, relocated to Brighton on the south coast of England.[11]

In 1999 she and her mother moved back to London; first to Brixton, then to the neighbouring district of West Norwood in south London.[12]
Adele graduated from the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon in May 2006,[13] where she was a classmate of Leona Lewis and Jessie J.[1][14] Adele credits the school with nurturing her talent[15] even though, at the time, she was more interested in going into A&R and hoped to launch other people's careers.[1]

2006–2010: Career beginnings and 19

Teenaged Adele performing on an acoustic guitar in Kilburn, London, in 2007

Four months after graduation, she published two songs on the fourth issue of the online arts publication PlatformsMagazine.com.[16] She had recorded a three-song demo for a class project and given it to a friend.[1] The friend posted the demo on Myspace, where it became very successful and led to a phone call from Richard Russell, boss of the music label XL Recordings. She doubted if the offer was real because the only record company she knew was Virgin Records, and she took a friend with her to the meeting.[14][17]

Nick Huggett, at XL, recommended Adele to manager Jonathan Dickins at September Management, and in June 2006, Dickins became her official representative.[18] September was managing Jamie T at the time and this proved a major draw for Adele, a big fan of the British singer-songwriter. Huggett then signed Adele to XL in September 2006.[18] Adele provided vocals for Jack Peñate's song, "My Yvonne," for his debut album, and it was during this session she first met producer Jim Abbiss, who would go on to produce both the majority of her debut album, 19, and tracks on 21.[19] In June 2007, Adele made her television debut, performing "Daydreamer" on the BBC's Later... with Jools Holland.[20] Adele's breakthrough song, "Hometown Glory", was released in October 2007.[18]

By 2008, Adele had become the headliner and performed an acoustic set, in which she was supported by Damien Rice.[21][22] She became the first recipient of the Brit AwardsCritics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008.[23][24] The album 19, named for her age at the time she wrote and composed many of its songs, entered the British charts at number one. The TimesEncyclopedia of Modern Music named 19 an "essential" blue-eyed soul recording.[25] She released her second single, "Chasing Pavements", on 14 January 2008, two weeks ahead of her debut album, 19. The song reached number two on the UK Chart, and stayed there for four weeks.[26] Adele was nominated for a 2008 Mercury Prize award for 19.[27] She also won an Urban Music Award for "Best Jazz Act."[28] She also received a Q Awards nomination in the category of Breakthrough Act[29] and a Music of Black Origin nomination in the category of Best UK Female.[30] In March 2008, Adele signed a deal with Columbia Records and XL Recordings for her foray into the United States.[31] She embarked on a short North American tour in the same month,[31] and 19 was released in the US in June.[15]Billboard magazine stated of it: "Adele truly has potential to become among the most respected and inspiring international artists of her generation."[32] The An Evening with Adele world tour began in May 2008 and ended in June 2009.[33]

Adele performing live in January 2009

She later cancelled the 2008 US tour dates to be with a former boyfriend.[34] She said in Nylon magazine in June 2009, "I'm like, 'I can't believe I did that.' It seems so ungrateful.... I was drinking far too much and that was kind of the basis of my relationship with this boy. I couldn't bear to be without him, so I was like, 'Well, I'll just cancel my stuff then.'"[34] She referred to this period as her "early life crisis".[34] She is also known for her dislike of flying and bouts of homesickness when away from her native London.[35] By the middle of October 2008, Adele's attempt to break in America appeared to have failed.[36][37] But then she was booked as the musical guest on 18 October 2008 episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live. The episode, which included an expected appearance by then US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, earned the program its best ratings in 14 years with 17 million viewers. Adele performed "Chasing Pavements" and "Cold Shoulder,"[38] and the following day, 19 topped the iTunes charts and ranked at number five at Amazon.com while "Chasing Pavements" rose into the top 25.[39] The album reached number 11 on the Billboard 200 as a result, a jump of 35 places over the previous week.[40]
In November 2008 Adele moved to Notting Hill, London after leaving her mother's house, a move that prompted her to give up drinking.[41] The album was certified gold in February 2009 by the RIAA.[42] By July 2009, the album had sold 2.2 million copies worldwide.[43]

2011–2014: 21, worldwide recognition and hiatus

Adele released her second studio album, 21, on 24 January 2011 in the UK and 22 February in the US.[51][52] She said that the album was inspired by the break-up with her former partner.[7] The album's sound is described as classic and contemporary country and roots music. The change in sound from her first album was the result of her bus driver playing contemporary music from Nashville when she was touring the American South, and the title reflected the growth she had experienced in the prior two years.[52] Adele told Spin Magazine: "It was really exciting for me because I never grew up around [that music]."[53]21 hit number 1 in 30 countries, including the UK and the US.[54][55][56]

An emotional performance of "Someone Like You" at the 2011 Brit Awards on 15 February propelled the song to number one in the UK.[57] Her first album, 19, re-entered the UK album chart alongside 21, while first and second singles "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You" were in the top 5 of the UK singles chart, making Adele the first living artist to achieve the feat of two top-five hits in both the Official Singles Chart and the Official Albums Chart simultaneously since The Beatles in 1964.[58] Both songs topped the charts in multiple markets and broke numerous sales performance records. Following her performance of "Someone Like You" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, it became Adele's second number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100.[59] By December 2011, 21 sold over 3.4 million copies in the UK, and became the biggest-selling album of the 21st century, overtaking Amy Winehouse's Back to Black,[60][61] with Adele becoming the first artist ever to sell three million albums in the UK in one calendar year.[62][63] "Set Fire to the Rain" became Adele's third number one single on the Billboard Hot 100, as Adele became the first artist ever to have an album, 21, hold the number-one position on the Billboard 200 concurrently with three number one singles.[64] Moreover, 21 had the most weeks on the Billboard 200 chart of any album by a woman.[65]

To promote the album, Adele embarked upon the "Adele Live" tour, which sold out its North American leg.[66] In October 2011, Adele was forced to cancel two tours because of a vocal-cord haemorrhage. She released a statement saying she needed an extended period of rest to avoid permanent damage to her voice.[67] In the first week of November 2011 Steven M. Zeitels, director of the Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, performed laser microsurgery on Adele's vocal cords to remove a benign polyp.[68][69][70] A recording of her tour, Live at the Royal Albert Hall, was released in November 2011, debuting at number one in the US with 96,000 copies sold, the highest one-week tally for a music DVD in four years, becoming the best-selling music DVD of 2011.[71] Adele is the first artist in Nielsen SoundScan history to have the year's number-one album (21), number-one single ("Rolling in the Deep"), and number-one music video.[72] At the 2011 American Music Awards on 20 November, Adele won three awards; Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist, Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist, and Favorite Pop/Rock Album for 21.[73] On 9 December, Billboard named Adele Artist of the Year, Billboard 200 Album of the Year (21), and the Billboard Hot 100 Song of the Year ("Rolling in the Deep"), becoming the first woman ever to top all three categories.[74][75]

Following the throat microsurgery, she made her live comeback at the 2012 Grammy Awards in February.[76] She won in all six categories for which she was nominated, making her the second female artist in Grammy history, after Beyoncé, to win that many categories in a single night.[77] Following that success, 21 achieved the biggest weekly sales increase following a Grammy win since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991.[78][79] Adele received the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist, and British Album of the Year presented to her by George Michael.[80][81] Following the Brit Awards, 21 reached number one for the 21st non-consecutive week in the UK.[82] The album has sold over 4.5 million copies in the UK where it is the fourth best-selling album.[83] In October, the album's sales surpassed 4.5 million in the UK, and in November it surpassed 10 million sales in the US.[84][85][86] The best-selling album worldwide of 2011 and 2012, as of 2016, the album has sold over 31 million copies.[87][88][89] By the end of 2014, she had sold an estimated 40 million albums and 50 million singles worldwide.[90] Adele is the only artist or band in the last decade in the US to earn an RIAA diamond certification for a one disc album in less than two years.[85]

On 3 April 2012, Adele confirmed that her third album would likely be at least two years away, stating, "I have to take time and live a little bit. There were a good two years between my first and second albums, so it'll be the same this time." She stated that she would continue writing and composing her own material.[104]
At the 2013 Grammy Awards, she confirmed that she was in the very early stages of her third album.[105][106] She also stated that she will most likely work with Paul Epworth again.[105]

In September 2013, Wiz Khalifa confirmed that he and Adele had collaborated on a song for his upcoming fifth studio album, Blacc Hollywood, though the collaboration did not make the final track listing.[107] In January 2014, Adele received her tenth Grammy Award with "Skyfall" winning Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.[108] On the eve of her 26th birthday in May 2014, Adele posted a cryptic message via her Twitter account which prompted media discussion about her next album. The message, "Bye bye 25... See you again later in the year," was interpreted by some in the media, including the Daily Mail and Capital FM, as meaning that her next album would be titled 25 and released later in the year.[109][110] In 2014, Adele was nominated for nine World Music Awards.[111] In early August, Paul Moss suggested that an album would be released in 2014 or 2015.[112] However, in the October 2014 accounts filed with Companies House by XL Recordings, they ruled out a 2014 release.[113]

2015–present: 25 and Adele Live 2016

On 27 August 2015, Billboard reported that Adele's label, XL Recordings, had intentions of releasing her third studio album sometime in November 2015.[114]Danger Mouse has contributed a song, while Tobias Jesso Jr. has written a track, and Ryan Tedder is "back in the mix after producing and co-writing "Rumour Has It" on 21."[114] At the 72nd Venice International Film Festival in early September 2015, Sia announced that her new single "Alive" was co-written by Adele, and had originally been intended for Adele's third album.[115] On 18 October, a 30-second clip of new material from Adele was shown on UK television during a commercial break on The X Factor. The commercial teases a snippet from a new song from her third album, with viewers hearing a voice singing accompanied by lyrics on a black screen.[116]

In a statement released three days later she confirmed that the album is titled 25, with Adele stating, "My last record was a break-up record, and if I had to label this one, I would call it a make-up record. Making up for lost time. Making up for everything I ever did and never did. 25 is about getting to know who I've become without realising. And I'm sorry it took so long but, you know, life happened."[117] Adele also believes 25 will be her last album with her age as its title, believing that 25 would be the end to a trilogy.[118] On 22 October, Adele confirmed that 25 would be released on 20 November, while the lead single from the album, "Hello" would be released on 23 October.[119] The song was first played on Nick Grimshaw's Radio 1 Breakfast Show on the BBC on the morning of 23 October with Adele interviewed live.[120] The video of "Hello", released on 22 October, was viewed over 27.7 million times on YouTube in its first 24 hours, breaking the Vevo record for the most views in a day, surpassing the 20.1 million views for "Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift.[121] On 28 October, BBC News reported that "Hello" was being viewed on YouTube an average one million times an hour.[122] "Hello" went on to become the fastest video to hit one billion views on YouTube, which it achieved after 88 days.[123] The video for "Hello" captured iconic British elements such as a red telephone box and a cup of tea.[124] The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 30 October, with first week sales of 330,000 copies, making it the biggest-selling number one single in three years.[125] "Hello" also debuted at number one in many countries around the world, including Australia, France, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and Germany, and on 2 November, the song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first song in the US to sell at least one million downloads in a week, setting the record at 1.11 million.[126] By the end of 2015, it had sold 12.3 million units globally and was the year's 7th best-selling single despite being released in late October.[127]

Adele singing in St. Paul during her first North American tour in five years in July 2016. Ten million people tried to buy tickets for the North American leg of Adele's world tour. Only 750,000 tickets were available[128]

On 27 October, BBC One announced plans for Adele at the BBC, a one-hour special presented by Graham Norton, in which Adele talks about her new album and performs new songs.[129] This was her first television appearance since performing at the 2013 Academy Awards ceremony, and the show was recorded before a live audience on 2 November for broadcast on 20 November, coinciding with the release of 25.[130] On 27 October it was also announced that Adele would appear on the US entertainment series Saturday Night Live on 21 November.[129][131] On 30 October, Adele confirmed that she would be performing a one-night-only concert titled Adele Live in New York City at the Radio City Music Hall on 17 November. Subsequently, NBC aired the concert special on 14 December.[132][133]

On 27 November, 25 debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and became the fastest selling album in UK chart history with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week.[134] The album debuted at number one in the US where it sold a record-breaking 3.38 million copies in its first week, the largest single sales week for an album since Nielsen began monitoring sales in 1991.[135]25 also broke first week sales records in Canada and New Zealand.[136][137]25 became the best-selling album of 2015 in a number of countries, including Australia, the UK and the US, spending seven consecutive weeks at number one in each country, before being displaced by David Bowie's Blackstar.[138][139][140] It was the best-selling album worldwide of 2015 with 17.4 million copies sold.[127]25 has since sold 20 million copies globally.[141] Adele's seven weeks at the top of the UK Albums Chart took her total to 31 weeks at number one in the UK with her three albums, surpassing Madonna's previous record of most weeks at number one for a female act.[142]

Adele at Wembley Stadium in June 2017. Adele's concert on 28 June was attended by 98,000 fans, a stadium record for a UK music event[148]

At the 2016 Brit Awards in London on 24 February, Adele received the awards for British Female Solo Artist, British Album of the Year for 25, British Single of the Year for "Hello", and British Global Success, bringing her Brit Award wins to eight.[149] She closed the ceremony by performing "When We Were Young", the second single from 25.[149] Two more singles from 25 were released in 2016: "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" and "Water Under the Bridge". While on stage at London's O2 Arena on 17 March, Adele announced that she would be headlining on the Pyramid Stage at the 2016 Glastonbury Festival, which was later confirmed by the festival's organisers.[150] She appeared for a 90-minute fifteen song set at the festival on 25 June, and described the experience as "by far, the best moment of my life so far".[151]

As part of her world tour, in February and March 2017, Adele performed in Australia for the first time, playing outdoor stadiums around the country.[152] Her first two shows in New Zealand sold out in a record-breaking 23 minutes, and a third show was announced, with all tickets sold in under 30 minutes.[153] Adele sold over 600,000 tickets for her record-breaking eight date Australian tour, setting stadium records throughout the country; her Sydney show at ANZ Stadium on 10 March was seen by 95,000 people, the biggest single concert in Australian history, a record she broke the following night with more than 100,000 fans.[154]
Adele completed her world tour with two concerts, dubbed "The Finale", at Wembley Stadium, London on 28 and 29 June.[155] She announced the shows at "the home of football" by singing the England football team's "Three Lions" anthem and also the theme song to the BBC's weekly Premier League football show Match of the Day.[155] Adele had added another two concerts at Wembley after the first two dates sold out,[156] however she cancelled the 1 and concert of 2 Julys after damaging her vocal cords.[148] As a show of support, fans instead gathered outside Wembley Stadium to perform renditions of her songs, in an event titled "Sing for Adele".[157]

Artistry

Influences and favourite musicians

Adele credits the Spice Girls as being a major influence on her love of music

Adele has cited the Spice Girls as a major influence in regard to her love and passion for music, stating that "they made me what I am today".[164] Adele impersonated the Spice Girls at dinner parties as a young girl.[165] She stated she was left "heartbroken" when her favourite Spice Girl, Geri Halliwell aka "Ginger Spice", left the group.[166][167] She has also stated that growing up, she listened to Sinéad O'Connor,[168]The Cure,[169]Dusty Springfield,[170]Celine Dion,[171] and Annie Lennox.[172]
One of Adele's earliest influences was Gabrielle, who Adele has admired since the age of five. During Adele's school years, her mother made her an eye patch with sequins which she used to perform as the Hackney born star in a school talent contest.[173] After moving to south London, she became interested in R&B artists such as Aaliyah, Destiny's Child, and Mary J. Blige.[174] Adele says that one of the most defining moments in her life was when she watched Pink perform at Brixton Academy in London. She states: "It was the Missundaztood record, so I was about 13 or 14. I had never heard, being in the room, someone sing like that live […] I remember sort of feeling like I was in a wind tunnel, her voice just hitting me. It was incredible."[175][176]

As a teenager Adele would listen to Etta James(pictured) while developing and practising her vocal skills

Musical style

Adele's first album, 19, is of the soul genre, with lyrics describing heartbreak and relationship.[15] Her success occurred simultaneously with several other British female soul singers, with the British press dubbing her a new Amy Winehouse.[1] This was described as a third British Musical Invasion of the US.[14] However, Adele called the comparisons between her and other female soul singers lazy, noting "we're a gender, not a genre".[15][36][183] AllMusic wrote that "Adele is simply too magical to compare her to anyone."[177]

Her second album, 21, shares the folk and soul influences of her debut album, but was further inspired by the American country and Southern blues music to which she had been exposed during her 2008–09 North American tour An Evening with Adele.[184][185] Composed in the aftermath of Adele's separation from her partner, the album typifies the near dormant tradition of the confessional singer-songwriter in its exploration of heartbreak, self-examination, and forgiveness. Having referred to 21 as a "break-up record", Adele labelled her third studio album, 25, a "make-up record", adding it was about "Making up for lost time. Making up for everything I ever did and never did."[117] Her yearning for her old self, her nostalgia, and melancholy about the passage of time, is a feature of 25, with Adele stating, "I've had a lot of regrets since I turned 25. And sadness hits me in different ways than it used to. There's a lot of things I don't think I'll ever get 'round to doing."[186]

Voice

Adele singing at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee during her Adele Live 2016 tour

Adele is a mezzo-soprano with a range spanning from C3 to B5. However Classic FM state she is often mistaken for a contralto due to the application of a tense chest mix to achieve her lower notes, whilst also noting that her voice becomes its clearest as she ascends the register, particularly from C4 to C5.[188][189][190][191]Rolling Stone reported that following throat surgery her voice had become "palpably bigger and purer-toned", and that she had added a further four notes to the top of her range.[186] Initially, critics suggested that her vocals were more developed and intriguing than her songwriting, a sentiment with which Adele agreed.[192] She has stated: "I taught myself how to sing by listening to Ella Fitzgerald for acrobatics and scales, Etta James for passion and Roberta Flack for control."[193]

Her voice has received acclaim from critics. In a review of 19, The Observer said, "The way she stretched the vowels, her wonderful soulful phrasing, the sheer unadulterated pleasure of her voice, stood out all the more; little doubt that she's a rare singer".[194] BBC Music wrote, "Her melodies exude warmth, her singing is occasionally stunning and, ...she has tracks that make Lily Allen and Kate Nash sound every bit as ordinary as they are."[195] For their reviews of 21, The New York Times' chief music critic Jon Pareles commended Adele's emotive timbre, comparing her to Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, and Annie Lennox: "[Adele] can seethe, sob, rasp, swoop, lilt and belt, in ways that draw more attention to the song than to the singer".[196] Ryan Reed of Paste magazine regarded her voice as "a raspy, aged-beyond-its-years thing of full-blooded beauty",[197] while MSN Music's Tom Townshend declared her "the finest singer of [our] generation".[198]

Personal life and other ventures

Adele began dating charity entrepreneur and Old Etonian Simon Konecki in the summer of 2011.[199] In June 2012, Adele announced that she and Konecki were expecting a baby.[200][201] Their son Angelo was born on 19 October 2012.[202] On the topic of becoming a parent, Adele observed that she "felt like I was truly living. I had a purpose, where before I didn't".[203] Adele and Konecki brought a privacy case against a UK-based photo agency that published intrusive paparazzi images of their son taken during family outings in 2013.[204] Lawyers working on their behalf accepted damages from the company in July 2014.[205] Adele has also stated that she has suffered from postnatal depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and panic attacks.[206][207]

In early 2017, tabloids started speculating that Adele and Konecki had secretly married when they were spotted wearing matching rings on their ring fingers.[208] During her acceptance speech at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, Adele confirmed their marriage by calling Konecki her husband when thanking him.[209] She subsequently clarified her marital status in March 2017, telling the audience at a concert in Brisbane, Australia, "I'm married now".[210]

Politically she is a supporter of the Labour Party, stating in 2011 that she was a "Labour girl through and through",.[211] In 2015, Adele stated "I'm a feminist, I believe that everyone should be treated the same, including race and sexuality".[180] In 2017, Adele was ranked the richest musician under 30 years old in the UK and Ireland in the Sunday Times Rich List, which valued her wealth at £125 million. She was ranked the 19th richest musician overall.[212]

She is an icon for the LGBT community.[213] On 12 June 2016 an emotional Adele dedicated her show in Antwerp, Belgium to the victims of the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, earlier that day, adding "The LGBTQ community, they're like my soul mates since I was really young, so I'm very moved by it."[214][215] In April 2018 it was widely reported that Adele had become an ordained minister in order to officiate at close friend comedian Alan Carr's wedding to Paul Drayton, something which Adele herself subsequently confirmed. The wedding, held in January 2018, took place in the garden of her house in Los Angeles.[216] However, the news prompted Tim Worstall of The Continental Telegraph to observe that ordination in itself would not have allowed Adele to conduct the marriage under California law, and that she would have needed to apply to become a "one-time deputy marriage commissioner", a role similar to that of a Justice of the peace and known as becoming a "JP for a day": "It’s certainly a cute story that Adele is now the Rev Miss Adele but it’s not really what happened."[217]

Adele has been a major contributor to MusiCares, a charity organisation founded by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for musicians in need. In February 2009, Adele performed at the 2009 MusiCares charity concert in Los Angeles. In 2011 and 2012, Adele donated autographed items for auctions to support MusiCares.[226][227][228] When on tour, Adele requires all backstage visitors to donate a minimum charitable contribution of US$20 for the UK charity SANDS, an organisation dedicated to "supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby and promoting research to reduce the loss of babies' lives". During the UK and European leg of her Adele Live tour, she collected US$13,000 for the charity.[229]

On 15 June 2017, Adele attended a vigil in west London for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire where, keeping a low profile, she was only spotted by a small handful of fans.[230] Four days later she appeared at Chelsea fire station and brought cakes for the firefighters.[231] Station manager Ben King stated "She came in, came up to the mess and had a cup of tea with the watch and then she joined us for the minute’s silence."[231] Paying tribute to the victims at her first Wembley show on 28 June, Adele encouraged fans to donate money to help the victims of the blaze rather than waste the money on "overpriced wine".[232]

Awards and achievements

Adele performing at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, Australia, March 2017. She performed to over 70,000, a record attendance in South Australia[154]

Adele's second album, 21, earned her a record-tying six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year; two Brit Awards, including British Album of the Year. The success of the album saw her receive numerous mentions in the Guinness Book of World Records.[237] With 21 non-consecutive weeks at number 1 in the US, Adele broke the record for the longest number-1 album by a woman in Billboard history, beating the record formerly held by Whitney Houston's soundtrack The Bodyguard.[79]21 spent its 23rd week at number one in March 2012, making it the longest-running album at number one since 1985,[238] and it became the fourth best-selling album of the past 10 years in the US.[239] The best selling album in the UK of the 21st century, and the best selling album by a female in UK chart history, 21 is also the fourth best-selling album in the UK of all time.[240][241]21 was her first album certified diamond in the US.[242] On 6 March, 21 reached 30 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Australian ARIA Chart, making it the longest-running number one album in Australia in the 21st century, and the second longest-running number one ever.[243]

In February 2012, Adele was listed at number five on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music.[244] In April 2012, Time magazine named Adele one of the 100 most influential people in the world.[245][246]People named her one of 2012 Most Beautiful at Every Age.[247] On 30 April 2012, a tribute to Adele was held at New York City's (Le) Poisson Rouge called Broadway Sings Adele, starring various Broadway actors such as Matt Doyle.[248] In July 2012, Adele was listed at number six in Forbes list of the world's highest-paid celebrities under the age of 30, having earned £23 million between May 2011 and May 2012.[249]

On the week ending 3 March 2012, Adele became the first solo female artist to have three singles in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time with "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone Like You", and "Set Fire to the Rain" as well as the first female artist to have two albums in the top 5 of the Billboard 200 and two singles in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously.[250] Adele topped the 2012 Sunday Times Rich List of musicians in the UK under 30[251] and made the Top 10 of Billboard magazine's "Top 40 Money Makers".[252]Billboard also announced the same day that Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" is the biggest crossover hit of the past 25 years, topping pop, adult pop and adult contemporary charts and that Adele is one of four female artists to have an album chart at number one for more than 13 weeks (the other three artists being Judy Garland, Carole King, and Whitney Houston).[252]

Released in 2015, Adele's third album, 25, became the year's best-selling album and broke first week sales records in a number of markets, including the UK and the US.[258]25 was her second album to be certified diamond in the US and earned her five Grammy Awards, including her second Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and four Brit Awards for British Female Solo Artist, British Album of the Year, British Single of the Year for "Hello", and British Global Success.[149] Adele's seven weeks at the top of the UK Albums Chart took her total to 31 weeks at number one in the UK with her three albums, surpassing Madonna's previous record of most weeks at number one for a female act in the UK.[142] The lead single, "Hello", became the first song in the US to sell over one million digital copies within a week of its release.[126] At the 2016 Ivor Novello Awards Adele was named Songwriter of the Year by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.[259]

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